I woke up as the Villainous Empress
Chapter 76

76 Royal Court III

The Emperor gave a dubious look to Yang Ning when he heard her murmur that she was following his commands and wanted to impress him.

Why would he be impressed by her going to the Brothel? What made her think of that?

“You went there according to my commands. What do you mean by this statement?” The Emperor’s smile vanished and he asked her strictly.

Yang Ning’s confidence didn’t waver upon seeing his cold expression and smiled warmly at him, “Yes. I heard from His Highness that Your Majesty has prohibited the entertainment-serving activities of the brothel and has announced them to be illegal.”

She made sure to not mention the words like Human trafficking and prostitution in front of him. Because she was sure that the mentioning of such things outrightly might make him upset and feel butthurt.

Because he looks like those people who think that men can do anything but women shouldn’t even point out or mention such atrocities.

“You have made this law to safeguard the dignity and safety of women of the Empire and ordered such places to turn them into family dining areas. The brothel we went to in the morning was one of such places as well, where the wild bear appeared unexpectedly.”

“Rather than being identified as a Brothel, it is now operating as a family diner.” She clarified.

“A family diner?” The Emperor asked with an unsure frown on his face.

.....

Yang Ning paused for a moment and noticed the dazed expressions of the Emperor and saw him immersed in her story. ‘That’s it.’

Well, she wasn’t lying.

It did look like any normal diner, except for the women wearing bright and colorful outfits to serve the alcohol to men and the exquisite decorations of the place.

It was because of the large influence of the brothel that it used to be, in the past. Even though on the surface it looks like just any other diner, she was sure that such activities might still be going on and that the diner was a way to attract customers for their business.

The vibes of that place were giving away the truth.

By now she sort of guessed that Zheng Liang must have a reason to take her to that place. However, he doesn’t want to reveal that reason to the Emperor, for now at least.

If he cannot tell the truth, she needs to come up with some sort of story to convince the Emperor and avoid this complicated situation. Because she doesn’t want to be involved in any kind of problem during her stay in this world.

_

She controlled her sly smirk and continued with her explanation, ” Yes. A family diner. It was not just any regular diner but a significant place that can become a historical monument in the future to tell the stories about the great reign of Your Majesty to the kids.”

“A Historical Place?” The Emperor’s eyes lit up hearing the coveting, sweet compliments of Yang Ning.

” Yes. You are the first Emperor to abolish the brothel culture to protect the dignity of women. I am sure a day will come when such brothels or unique family diners will be identified as historical monuments to cherish the beauty of the past and the history.” She continued to praise him using the future as bait.

Which Emperor doesn’t like to become a historically important figure of his reign? Zheng Wang Meng was that kind of person.

While the Emperor was captivated by Yang Ning’s sweet words, Zheng Liang was surprised to see her shamelessly complimenting the Emperor when it was he who took her there.

He thought that she was a weak girl who is being mistreated by her father and stepmother and was having a misconception about her being vicious as the rumors say but seeing her speaking so eloquently and lying without hesitating, he realized that there are many things that he doesn’t know about her.

It wasn’t even her idea to go there. Yet she was lying with so much confidence that even he was trapped in her sweet words for a moment.

“I went there with the intention to encourage the other women and people in the empire to go to such dining places and treat them just like any other dining places and make them a victorious mark in history and not remember those places as a shameful past. Not only that, but it will also help in flourishing the business of such places and their profits will contribute to the treasure of the Empire in present as well.”

” As the Future Crown Princess, it is also my responsibility to set an example and encourage people to follow the laws set by His Majesty. I was merely trying to follow my duty as the Future Crown Princess and gain some praise from His Majesty. I never thought that things would turn out like this.” She expressed her disappointment.

She was confident about this trick of hers and put the hat on his head now. He was blaming her for going to the brothel and wanted to punish her.

But what will he do now? Because he was the one who changed those brothels to become family diners. On what grounds will he punish her now?

The Emperor pursed his lips and fell into deep thought. While he was busy thinking about what to do with Yang Ning, Zheng Liang’s eyes were fixated on the girl who was standing there with her hands clasped in front of hers.

She was standing still but her eyes were blinking frequently as if she was tired and was trying to control her yawn. She was standing in front of the Emperor and rather than being scared, she was sleepy.

That was surely refreshing to him. He never felt this comfortable around his Father, how can she lie to him without batting an eye?

___

After considering Yang Ning’s explanation, the Emperor looked at her and asked, ” I understand why you went to the Brothel. I will not punish you for that.”

” However, how will you explain going out with Zheng Liang alone? You two aren’t even married yet. It is not proper for you to go out together like this before the royal wedding yet. What if people replace out about it and spread nonsense? You are a girl. You should have been more thoughtful about your reputation.” The Emperor berated Yang Ning.

Yang Ning pursed her lips and tried to control herself from getting pissed off by his comment. So what if she is a girl?

If she was Fang Li, she would have snapped at his comment but unfortunately, she is Yang Ning and he is the Emperor. She took a deep breath to calm down her anger and said, ” I asked His Highness to have tea with me because I wanted to thank him for saving me the other day from drowning. I never get to thank him for his graciousness, that’s why I wanted to express my gratitude to him through a cup of tea. However, I should have been more careful about my actions.” She apologized.

” Saved you from drowning? Zheng Liang, what does she mean?” The Emperor asked Zheng Liang curiously, visibly pleased by Yang Ning’s words.

He was upset that Zheng Liang didn’t save the lady and Yang Ning was the one who killed the wild bear. However, Yang Ning’s words that Zheng Liang was her savior caught his attention and made him proud of his son.

Zheng Liang frowned as he didn’t want to say anything about that matter. However, Yang Ning stepped forward and said, ” Yes. A few days ago I went near the lake for a walk and mistakenly fell into the lake. However, it was His Highness who saved me from drowning and gave me a new life.”

Zheng Liang looked at her in astonishment. She doesn’t hesitate to throw compliments without thinking twice.

Has this girl always been this talkative? He wondered.

” Is that so? Zheng Liang, why did you never say anything about it?” The Emperor turned to Zheng Liang.

Zheng Liang stayed silent, so Yang Ning became his spokesperson on his behalf, ” His Highness is such a graceful person. He never says his praises from his mouth. That is his charm.”

” Right. Right. He never says his achievements from his mouth.” The Emperor agreed and was pleased by Yang Ning’s sweet words.

Yang Ning didn’t say anything but smiled at his words. ‘I am tired. Let me go now.’ She was smiling from the outside but her body was crying in pain.

” I have heard your explanations. Yang Ning, I can see that you went to the brothel with good intentions, but make sure to consider the consequences of your actions first before doing anything next time. That place might become a symbol of Historical change in the future but for now, people still consider that place different from usual diners. As the Future Crown Princess, you should be cautious.” The Emperor said to her, however, his tone was way different and sweeter than before.

” About your punishment....I will not punish you. Since you killed the Wild Bear and saved the lives of many people, you deserve the compliment and not the punishment. But....be careful next time. Alright?”

” Yes. Your Majesty. Thank you for your graciousness on me.” Yang Ning curtsied to him and thanked him.

Yang Ning knew that he would have punished her if she had not used her brain and showered his so-called self-esteem with her never-ending compliments. Well, if she can impress the Emperor with a few empty praises, doesn’t it mean that she is still winning this game?